Blog

Each quarter, the culinary department features educative and interactive activities for students, alumni, and local community known as Culinary Week. Its purpose is to offer a deeper perspective into the culinary field by showcasing industry experts from a variety of areas within hospitality.

Monday: August, 21st - The culinary department kicked off their week with special guest Arnetra Shettleworth, Lead Recruiter/Franchisee from Patrice & Associates, a well-known Hospitality Recruiting Firm for the Atlanta metro area. Students gained a wealth of knowledge towards resume writing, professional branding, and creating effective job search strategies for today’s market.

Tuesday: August 22nd – Culinary alumni Jim Duggan, Owner of Ice Sculpture Inc. (1992, Culinary Arts, AA), and Glenn Hughes, Owner of K&Z Ice Carvings (2013, Culinary Arts, AA), returned for their second year to share their expertise in ice sculpting. Using a variety of tools such as chisels and chain saws, Jim and Glenn created a beautiful sculpture of Ai Atlanta’s campus mascot, the Phoenix. This dynamic ice duo has worked on several projects and competitions together. Earlier this year, Jim and Glenn competed in the 2017 World Ice Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska. Jim and his ice partner placed 2nd in the Single Block Competition for their piece, Transcend. Glenn and his fellow ice team placed 1st in the Multi Block Competition for their piece, March Madness.

Wednesday, August 23rd - On the request of President Newton Myvett, Executive Chef and Partner Fuyuhiko Umi, one of Atlanta’s hottest sushi restaurants located in the heart of Buckhead, spent the afternoon showcasing his knife skills during an interactive demo with culinary students. As students learned proper knife handling skills and cutting techniques, Chef Ito provided positive feedback as he observed the students in action at their stations. Alongside his demo, Ito prepared and plated a cucumber sushi dish from his Umi menu.

At the conclusion of the demo, President Myvett, Dr. Wood, and Chef James Paul presented Chef Ito with a beautiful knife encased with a special engraved message of appreciation. “I am humbled by the fact that someone with his level of success is so passionate about giving back to his profession and the community,” said President Myvett. Additionally, Chef Ito’s demo was captured via Facebook Live from the AJC’s Atlanta Restaurant Scene. The video stream received over nine thousand views and several shares via social media.

Thursday, August 24th - Culinary week concluded with the homecoming and alumni spotlight for The Art Institute of Atlanta’s most prominent and distinguished graduate, Certified Master Chef Daryl Shular.

Since graduating with his associate's degree in Culinary Arts from Ai Atlanta in 1994, Shular made a name for himself as a culinary competitor earning over twelve gold medals and eight “Best of Show” accolades in local and national competitions. In 2008, he was a member of the ACF Culinary Olympic Team for the United States and won top honors against sixty three other teams from around the world. In 2014, Shular etched his name in culinary history by becoming the youngest and 1st African-American chef to receive the industry’s highest honor, the designation known as Certified Master Chef, CMC.

Students, alumni, and campus community attended Chef Shular’s spotlight where he conducted an interactive knife skills workshop with culinary students. Additionally, he performed a demo using a class recipe and created two beautiful plated dishes for the audience to see. His message to those in attendance was, “If you are determined and believe in yourself, dreams will come true.” Institutional President Newton Myvett presented Shular with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Proclamation of August 24th as being Chef Daryl Shular Day at The Art Institute of Atlanta.